Tuesday, 30 November 2010

'This year the event is on concrete. Beats the hell outta that shitty dirt surface that he had to work with in the past.'

Get your carpet shoes ready.Go here to see coverage of last January's West Coast Vegas race. It's a great mix of the best in the world (Jake Johnson, Sammy Halbert...), names from the past (Rick Hocking) and great amateurs and vintage racers. G

Good to finally meet Davide Caforio. Looking a lot like Captain Haddock from Tintin, but a lot better at doing the mashed potato. He had two bikes at Show Down, a looney rigid lakester (for want of a better pigeonhole) that he is building with Romano Brida, based on a 850 T5, de-railed, exposed Magni shaft-drive, 40mm Webber carb from an Alfa Romeo (also hails from Milan). And a saucy BOTT style racer with TZ250 hump and fairing, and period correct 16" front, 18" rear 3-spoke Dymags (?) BP

UPDATE:On closer inspection I noticed Davide's Devil-on-Absinthe eyes (this is not Photoshop, it's just what happens when untrained ears, unfiltered by the specially treated Japanese knitwear masks we wear, take their chances on the dancefloor when Skooter Farm Dave is on the deck (not decks; we're talking the rawest of LoFi DJing)

Saturday, 27 November 2010

The first lot of Sideburn Soul stickers were printed on paper. This next lot are screenprinted vinyl. Sorry if you stuck the paper ones on your bike or lid. Every order gets a free one (till they run out). G

From our friend Simon, who has lived at least four lives already. He has been/or still is a merchant seaman, ship captain, tour manager for world famous bands, record label owner, Ducati obsessive, father, husband. All that and he still wishes he could be a Wrench Monkee.The photos of you wearing masks in Milan reminded me of the early-mid 90's when I managed (????) the arts performance group/punk band "F" (while Oasis did their demo downstairs). Ask Ben about John F, they where at liverpool arts college together. John was a holographer, well still is, but did all sorts of design work (anarchy advertising) and used to do the stage design and lights for the Bunnymen...well also any arts type events.This was the revenge of the CLONES a bunch of them parading around Liverpool dressed as such. The Fred's Pie stall was Jake (ex-Bunnymen), Tim Whittaker, ex-Deaf School and painter) and Damon (ex-Bunnyman drummer now Massive Attack fellow), all living in same flat... Fred's pie stall was a controversial stand as it had no pies or anything at all except a selection of hip flasks and disgruntled customers drawn by the queues of clones awaiting non-existant pies.We also did the mobile auto mission where we had a limousine with John and Karen in rubber bondage gear and motorcycle outriders and cavalcade parading through Saturday rush-hour liverpool. Kids where running out shouting 'Whose tha? Is it madonna?' Caused chaos, traffic jams eventually the Police pitched up and had a huge showdown while Kev the onboard solicitor negotiated on behalf of Arts Council, I snapped away and eventually we ended up with a real Police Escort with blue lights cars and bikes to fukk us off.......All in all F was as described by my old mate Dave Balfe (teardrops, blur, Sony etc...) as a Vanity Project...a crap ensemble producing crap which because we were slightly pissed occasionally thought was really cool and avant garde......all in all along with my very own recrod label STIKKI Label a very successsful money pit which produced some of the finest landfill and cases of energy/oxygen wasting. We probably caused global warming due to the amount of hot air produced....I still have some lovely flyers and suspect the stacks of CD's still support the wonky table back in the rat infested warehouse on Dock Road Liverpool 7ahh the joys of youthcrap photos by simon mills

The tireless Peter Boast organised a short track class for a UK Asphalt series then the guy who was running the race meeting rang up and said the Supermoto class he was relying on was virtually empty so the series couldn't go ahead. G

Thursday, 25 November 2010

The British Royal Enfield importers, Watsonian Squire have built a special edition street tracker, the Fury. Prices haven't been announced. Expect £5500-ish. This is the official press release...

Styled by Watsonian Squire and based on the fuel-injected Royal Enfield Electra, the Fury is the first new model in 40 years to feature twin silencers, which allow the 499cc single cylinder engine to breathe more freely, producing a distinctive exhaust note.Wide western style bars dominate the front end of the Fury, sitting on a specially made billet aluminium top yoke. The traditional nacelle, seen on all other models in the range, is replaced with a chrome headlight and digital instrument panel.The design team at Watsonian also gave the rear end of the bike a radical makeover, replacing the twin saddle with a flat track style glass fibre seat unit, with a discrete tail light and chrome mini indicators.“Following the introduction of the new fuel injected unit engine Royal Enfield appeals to a younger and more image-conscious customer base” comments Sales Director Ben Matthews. “We have been working on the Fury for 12 months to produce a machine for this group of riders.”Pricing and availability will be announced at Motorcycle Live, which opens on 27th November 2010.

Piers at -273 has started a craze amongst his intergalactic web of designer friends (friends that are working in bike related design, not fastidious friends that drive a Toyota Prius and have a constant4 o'clock shadow), of designing Bikensteins in Photoshop. Much purer than modern production bikes, and less fussy and contrived than coffee percolator concept bikes that manufacturers show pony, but then shelf. Some Wrench Monkee influences here for sure, but then a hearty Smörgåsbord of other influences too. Someone please build these bikes in the real world. BP

Wednesday, 24 November 2010

These posts are getting a bit arse about face, because this one can't wait. We left Milan in heavy rain, then in Switzerland hit heavy snow as we approached the San Gottardo tunnel.

This was the motorway. We were down to 25mph.

We were heading to see a punk gig in a club called l'Entrepot in Arlon, Belgium. A British punkabilly group called The Grit were supporting. They were entertaining...

The double bass player was worth watching and had a neat bass customised by Vince Ray.

Headliners were US Bombs whose lead singer Duane Peters is a bit of a legend, and Skooter Farm Dave's old mate.

I don't know a lot about Duane (above with Dave), but I do know there aren't many people who've lived through more. And he's a fellow Guzzi owner. Just before this photo was taken Dave said 'I want a photo taken with you because I haven't got one and all my heroes are dying.' I didn't think it was the most tactful approach.

We left a few issues of Sideburn to read on the tour bus. Dave donated his Sideburn scarf to Duane as the singer had a stinking cold and after a few years on heroin is now even reluctant to take Sudafed. See Duane Peters pool skating in Dave's backyard.

I've posted this now because the band are still touring the UK and Europe. Derby tomorrow.

Holy crustacean! The guys at Racefit have done something out of the ordinary here. They normally use their £250,000 pipe bender to create smooth curves in the titanium tubes, but this is a special order for a Ducati Hypermotard. Racefit rule. Click the green Racefit label below for more proof. GLobster photo from Food Blogga

UPDATE

I spoke to Jon at Racefit about this exhaust. It is 54mm diameter titanium. You can't buy 54mm Ti tube, so Racefit had to roll their own. This system has 81 different welds and its own custom 6mm thick flanges. If you have to ask how much it cost you can't afford it. Racefit sell off the shelf end titanium cans though.

My new best friend Antonio is an ex-olympic boxer (Italian team Seoul 1988) who now trains pit-bulls. Sadly didn't get a shot of the Hills Race film presenter who was sporting a MacDonald's golden arch style growth. The Viva's Pinups book we were selling was popular with Milanese boys and girls, and sold out (but we've stocked up again). BP

Tuesday, 23 November 2010

I love looking at bike show photos from around the world. Even though there is a generic hot rod or period correct chopper look/uniform, there is still a lot of room for local interpretation. And a lot of that was in evidence at the Milan Show Down.A couple of Rumblers. Romano from the Rumblers was the driving force behind this great show.Paolo from Zaeta. Too much for one woman, not enough for two.This is bike show crowd Milan-style.The DJ - the Blonde Pit Bull. Skooter Farm Dave took over the decks. Well, turned off the CD decks and started spinning his 7-inchers.The bar was selling more cocktails than beer.Dave!Hats!Euro flat track champion, Zaeta team rider and all-round legend Marco Belli called by and had a quick Campari. No, really.Photographer Antonio Cellini. Nice sweatshirt Antonio.Everyone likes having their photo taken in Italy.This is photographer Carlito Schiliro, who shot the M&M's story for SB6, and his friend. You think a photographer would manage to keep his eyes open for a snap.Killer fringe.Paolo Sormani (left) and Roberto Ungaro from the world's second best motorcycle mag, Riders.This lady kept walking past and stroking Project FT's tyre. She thought nobody was noticing, but we caught her.We liked 'Till Death' on her throat.Eye see.Patch club.Paparazzi.Chick magnet.These two started jiving when Dave was on the decks.Stefania from Mermaid.Antonio, Stefania and Dario from Officine Mermaid.Mermaid crew re-enacting The Clash 1977.

My old friend Mick Phillips came by, wore a West Brom coloured balaclava (for that essential psychadelic terrorist look that is going to be so 'now' in three year's time) and spoke Italian to people who didn't have the decency to speak perfect English.